Binge eating

ciska1126

I try to keep all the junk food out of my house. For my chocolate cravings I have a skinny cow fudge bar that is only 100 calories. I also keep alot of 100 calories snacks around. Make sure that you are drinking enough water too. I find that when I think I'm hungry its usually that I haven't drank enough water.

angiechimpanzee

When the cravings come, try making a big mug of hot chocolate made with like, skim milk & a low calorie hot cocoa packet. It should soothe the cravings.

I used to struggle big time with cookie, pastry, cake, & chocolate binging. Now it only happens once in a blue moon but when it does, I try as hard as I can not to beat myself up about it or try to "make up for it" because that just makes things worse. And in the midst of a strong craving, I tell myself "You can have one but that's it."

Rubyayn

Do you compensate by eating less the next day or exercising more or anything like that? That can lead to a binging cycle so if you do, I suggest you stop that. Also, you need to keep busy, find other things to keep your mind occupied so you don't focus on food. Binging is usually a stress reliever so find other ways to relieve stress. Exercise or just simply going for a walk is a great way of relieving stress. Do not restrict your diet to certain foods, allow yourself to eat what you enjoy while staying within your calorie limits and hitting your macros.
The most important thing is to believe in yourself and stay positive. I know the self bashing makes that hard but turns your thoughts around, it's all in your control, you are capable of turning the negative into positives. Write down all the good things there is in life and all the good things about you on a piece of paper (or type it up) and every time you are feeling down, look at that list. I know you may think it's hard to think of but it just means you aren't thinking hard enough, life is not all negatives.
Also, after a binge, I usually have a killer workout with more strength and my lifting is at optimal. That's a positive thing about a binge It is important to forgive yourself after a binge and tell yourself that you are only human, nobody is perfect. Once you slowly decrease that guilt you have after a binge, your binging may actually reduce or stop.

YES!!! Focusing on the positive is so important. Replacing the negative thoughts with positive ones is a HUGE help, even if you do not believe the positive reinforcements at first, you will start to before you know it!

helenling

I'm not if I'm a binge eater but I just love food. On the days when I'm just relaxing and watching TV I over indulge on the foods I love. I would eat handful of chips, followed by a serving or 2 of curry chicken and then some trail mix with M and Ms...

NCchar130

I try to keep all the junk food out of my house. For my chocolate cravings I have a skinny cow fudge bar that is only 100 calories. I also keep alot of 100 calories snacks around. Make sure that you are drinking enough water too. I find that when I think I'm hungry its usually that I haven't drank enough water.

I have noticed the water thing too. Water doesn't really fill me up, like many have suggested, but it does reduce the cravings somehow.

Another tip is to eat something that takes awhile to eat, like an apple. It keeps my hands and mouth busy for so long, I can get through the worst of the craving.

The one thing that honestly stopped my bingeing is the food diary itself, and knowing I have to log it. It's going to be right there staring at me and judging me :sad: if I eat it LOL

beccaboo754

Hi, i had a problem with binge eating a few years back and was referred to a dietitian, the result was disastrous!! he told me to eat any foods i liked which i took a bit too literally, the rational behind this was it would teach my brain that no food was forbidden when all that actually happened is that i gained nearly a stone in the 6 weeks i was seeing him! most if not all binge eaters do so due to deep seated emotional issues and the other very small percentage of people just do it because they are greedy. with you it could be good old sugar addiction, people dont realise what a powerful substance it is, try reading up on it and you will be suprised how it affects both your body and mind in a negative way, i generally use agarve nectar to sweeten things now you can get it in most supermarkets and doesnt send your body into a sugar frenzy! it struck a chord with me when you said how you beat yourself up after, i was exactly the same and its this feeling bad about yourself that helps you binge next time, tell yourself you dont need to binge, that you are better than that, even say it out loud (if no-one else is around lol!) if you tell yourself something so many times you start to believe it, hope this helps, Becca :-) x

KaciWood19

First you need to log everything.

I have a cheat night once a week and this past Saturday I was going to get a movie theater popcorn when I saw Skyfall and so I figured I would log it... No big deal its my cheat night... When I saw it was 1,200 calories I immediately decided against it.

If you log your chips or cookies in the quantity you know you're going to eat and see 2,000+ or more calories you would likely be apprehensive to do it.

I have tried to diet many times and lose weight but every time I looked at it like a temporary thing I had to suffer through... Now I see it as a lifestyle change. Its a fundamental shift mentally.

I also find that working out hard at the gym (group exercise is awesome) helps because I am not working THAT HARD at the gym only to come home and eat a box of cookies and ruin the gains I just suffered for.

Another interesting bit of advice! I should log it before I eat it!

KaciWood19

Do you compensate by eating less the next day or exercising more or anything like that? That can lead to a binging cycle so if you do, I suggest you stop that. Also, you need to keep busy, find other things to keep your mind occupied so you don't focus on food. Binging is usually a stress reliever so find other ways to relieve stress. Exercise or just simply going for a walk is a great way of relieving stress. Do not restrict your diet to certain foods, allow yourself to eat what you enjoy while staying within your calorie limits and hitting your macros.
The most important thing is to believe in yourself and stay positive. I know the self bashing makes that hard but turns your thoughts around, it's all in your control, you are capable of turning the negative into positives. Write down all the good things there is in life and all the good things about you on a piece of paper (or type it up) and every time you are feeling down, look at that list. I know you may think it's hard to think of but it just means you aren't thinking hard enough, life is not all negatives.
Also, after a binge, I usually have a killer workout with more strength and my lifting is at optimal. That's a positive thing about a binge It is important to forgive yourself after a binge and tell yourself that you are only human, nobody is perfect. Once you slowly decrease that guilt you have after a binge, your binging may actually reduce or stop.

Thank you for your kind words of support! I'm writing down my good things now!

sarahcuddle

Agave nectar consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source gives 92% fructose and 8% glucose; another gives 56% fructose and 20% glucose. These differences probably reflect variation from one vendor of agave nectar to another.[6][7]

The impact of agave nectar on blood sugar (as measured by its glycemic index and glycemic load) are comparable to fructose,[8][9] which has a much lower glycemic index and glycemic load than table sugar (sucrose).[10][11] However, consumption of large amounts of fructose can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome,[12] hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation.[13][14][15]

This is copied directly from wikipaedia. Agave nectar is still sugar!

KaciWood19

I'm not if I'm a binge eater but I just love food. On the days when I'm just relaxing and watching TV I over indulge on the foods I love. I would eat handful of chips, followed by a serving or 2 of curry chicken and then some trail mix with M and Ms...

I do this all the time. And then before you know it, you've over eaten, feel like crap..... This was part of what made me realize that I personally am a binge eater because it just got out of control from there!

KaciWood19

Agave nectar consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source gives 92% fructose and 8% glucose; another gives 56% fructose and 20% glucose. These differences probably reflect variation from one vendor of agave nectar to another.[6][7]

The impact of agave nectar on blood sugar (as measured by its glycemic index and glycemic load) are comparable to fructose,[8][9] which has a much lower glycemic index and glycemic load than table sugar (sucrose).[10][11] However, consumption of large amounts of fructose can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome,[12] hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation.[13][14][15]

This is copied directly from wikipaedia. Agave nectar is still sugar!

The nutrionist that I see says to say away from most sugar, especially added sugar. He doesn't worry too much about fruits from sugar because you are also getting fiber from the fruits which helps even out the sugar.

Anna800

Those of you that drink tea after dinner, doesn't that wake you up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom?

sarahcuddle

I agree about whole fruits and fibre but when you concentrate it in the form of agave syrup or fruit juices there is just too much.

KeriAnn06

Also cutting up an apple, sprinkling it with cinnamon and baking it in the oven for 10 minutes is a tasty treat as well! Definitely helps with the sweet cravings and feels like dessert

Jul158

Look into joining the Binge Eating Support group on MFP. It helped me to talk to others who have the same problem and different ways of coping!

MirinSerratus

Simply said.....nothing tastes as good as being shredded feels. realize your overall goal and gain mental strength

SoDamnHungry

I'd say keep the sweets out of the house. I'm also a binge eater, but I'll binge eat anything, so that method would mean I couldn't have any food in the house. I think the mentality is more important, anyway. "Ok, you've eaten 10 cookies, but you don't have to eat any more." That helps...sometimes.

ejtj1234

I too have this problem:( I eat good all week long then totally cheat the whole weekend! Then when I weigh in on Monday I don"t lose at all! I stay the same weight. It is really hard but I am going to track everything also! Hopefully this will work.

mrsburghart

I am a boredom bing-eater. If I'm bored, I will find myself constantly in the kitchen looking for something to snack on. It doesn't help that I live with 3 guys, none of which believe healthy eating is a "thing." So I'm constantly faced with cheetoes, cookies, popcorn, snack cakes, chips, and so on. When I'm home alone and no one can see me, I probably go in the kitchen about 15 times looking for something to snack on...unless I'm busy doing something. Boredom eating will get me every time!

bara_rei

I've had horrible binge eating problems in the past. Think buying and eating entire pints of ice cream and then throwing away the container in the outside trash can so my boyfriend wouldn't know when he got home from work. Shoving food in my face in front of the fridge. Eating until I feel like I'm going to puke. That kind of thing.
A combination of the stuff people mentioned above helped me, but here are a few things in particular.
1) Log before you eat. As someone else mentioned, you won't eat that giant thing of movie theater popcorn if you know it's over half your daily calories.
2) Keep 100 calorie snacks in the house. And lots of them! It's really true that if you eat slowly, your body will have a chance to realize it has gotten in sugar/salty/savory foods and stop bugging you as much. And if you eat 200 or 300 calories in 100 calorie snacks on a bad night, it's way better than an entire tub of ice cream. Speaking of ice cream, Weight Watchers ice cream bars have been my savior on bad nights.
3) Keep everything else out of the house! If I want a package of cookies, then I have to run to the store for them first. During a binge phase I am in no way motivated enough to get out of the house, let alone get out of the house to buy a giant thing of cookies so the cashier and everyone else can see I bought a big package of cookies. It's like harnessing that guilty binge feeling but in the opposite direction.
4) Snack during the day. My usual meal schedule is breakfast, lunch around 12, a snack around 3 and then dinner between 5-8, depending on the day. And my snack almost always includes a 100 cal sweet snack, 100 cal pack of chips or something else that feels like a "binge" without actually being one.
And last but certainly not least, probably the most important part....
5) JUST START OVER THE NEXT DAY! This is maybe the biggest one I had to learn. If I binged the night before, then I would feel like such crap about myself that I wouldn't eat much of anything the next day, which made me hungry, which made me binge... See the cycle? That's the great thing about MFP. Even if you end up with an ugly red number staring you in the face at the end of one day, there's a lovely green number waiting there the next. Every day is a new day. Forgive yourself, look at your emotional triggers, and just keep going.
Good luck!